1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to inflatable structures, such as inflatable packaging, and further to improved machines and methods for inflating the same.
2. Description of Related Art
Inflatable structures constitute an important part of the packaging industry. Inflatable structures are commonly used as cushions to package items, either by wrapping the items in the inflatable structures and placing the wrapped items in a shipping carton, or by simply placing one or more inflatable structures inside of a shipping carton along with an item to be shipped. The cushions protect the packaged item by absorbing impacts that might otherwise be fully transmitted to the packaged item during transit, and also restrict movement of the packaged item within the carton to further reduce the likelihood of damage to the item.
Various machines for forming inflated cushions, pillows, or other inflated structures are known. Earlier machines for forming inflated cushions tended to be rather large, expensive and complex. More recently, smaller, less-expensive inflation machines have been developed, which employ inflatable structures having pre-formed inflatable chambers. Many such machines, however, produce excessive noise and require relatively high pressures for the fluid used to inflate the inflatable structures.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a low cost yet reliable machine for producing fluid-filled inflatable structures which operates relatively quietly and uses relatively low fluid pressure to fill the inflatable structures.